Monday, August 31, 2009

…IF you think it is sensible to pay tax for a new productive public service to be built (e.g. a new national fast broadband network),rather than for the money for that service to be created free of any taxation and without inflationary consequences.

…IF you think it is a good idea for the government to borrow money from banks to pay for the above public service, rather than for that money to be created free of any debt (i.e. no interest due, no principal repayable) and without inflationary consequences.

Other reasons not to sign…

…IF you think it is OK for ordinary high street and other commercial banks to have power to make (create) 95% of the money we use in the UK, despite the fact that anyone caught making (forging) the other 5% i.e. in the form of banknotes or coins, would go to prison.

…IF you are satisfied that the profit accruing to the banks from this money creation (estimated at around £45 billion a year) should continue to flow to them, rather than going to the public purse where it could reduce taxes.

…IF you are satisfied that the monopoly currently enjoyed by the banks as they create 95% of our money supply should continue, rather than being under the democratic control of Parliament using the Bank of England as its agent, under clear and open guidelines visible to us all.

…IF you think that the current system, whereby banks create their basic product – money – ‘out of thin air’, should continue,rather than a reformed system whereby banks merely became wholesalers of money to end-users.

If this happened they would become subject to the same commercial discipline in their area of business as is every other business, trade, profession, employed person, self-employed person, etc, etc.

We would still need banks for our own money needs. Just as Tesco buys carrots wholesale and sells them retail, so banks would do the same with money as credit brokers.

The recruiting season is officially well underway and resumes are flying across cyberspace with lightening speed and frequency to match. So how do you make sure your resume stands out, is noticed, read, remembered and found at a later date?

In an email attachment, the title of your document may make the difference. So before you attach your resume, that's saved according to your own personal filing system, rename it. For example if your resume is saved as "cgsmresume.doc" rename it as "John Doe Resume Fall 2009 resume.doc." If your resume is saved as johndoeforjpmorgan.doc, rename it "John Doe xyz position title.doc"

When you send your resume, it should always place your name in the title. If you are applying for a specific position, include that in the name of your document too. For example, when I applied to this position, the email attachment looked like this: "Rachel Delcau Student and Alumni Relations Manager Resume" and the cover letter was titled accordingly as well.

Following this simple method will help you build your personal brand with recruiters, who see hundreds if not thousands of resume attachments every season. When you include the name of the position you go one step further in allowing the recruiters to immediately identify you with the position to which you are applying, which may be helpful on multiple levels.

The only time not to follow this procedure is if the application instructions call for something else.Any source

Consumers are less averse to GM crops and foods than they used to be, according to results from a quarterly tracking survey carried out on behalf of the UK Food Standards Agency. See FSA

Worries about food safety in general continued a general downward trend, from 64 to 61 per cent in this quarter. The top concerns were food poisoning (47 per cent) and the amount of fat, salt, sugar and saturated fat in food (responses in the 36 to 41 per cent range). Food prices and the conditions in which animals were raised were both mentioned by a third of respondents.

GM foods ranked 22nd out of 24 concern categories with only 2-4 per cent expressing spontaneous concern, rising to 21 per cent when prompted. In the previous survey conducted in the spring thse figures were 6 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.

The news comes at a time when livestock feed supplies in the UK are under increasing threat. UK livestock farmers are dependent on soya feed imports from Argentina and Brazil. These two countries supply about 90 per cent of UK imports. But they are increasingly switching to GM production and a joint Defra/FSA report suggests that livestock feed costs could soar by 300 per cent if Europe maintains strict import rules.

Admittedly this entails a worst case scenario in which there were no imports from the two Latin American countries. Should that happen, it is forecast that there would be a 24-29 per cent reduction in UK pig production and a 10 to 68 per cent reduction in poultry production.

The report argues that the risk to food supplies could be avoided if the EU allowed a low-level preesnce of some non-EU approved GM material rather than operating a strict zero tolerance policy as at preesnt.

The situation is complicated by poor harvests in South America last season, active purchasing there by China and the halting of imports from the US after the discovery of traces of unapproved GM maize in a shipment.

Consumers may at some point have to make a choice between lower food prices and an insistence on strict GM-free standards for animal feed. This particular problem is symptomatic of more general debates about the role of technology in ensuring food supplies.Any source

A leading scientist is the latest person to warn that the bickering over whether conventional or organic farming is environmentally superior is getting no one anywhere in mitigating climate change. In an interview with Farmers Weekly Ian Crute, shortly to become chief scientist at the Agricultural and Horticultural development board, said it was vital to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all types of agriculture. The former director of Rothamsted Research commented, 'The notion that this is a case of organic farming, conventional farming bad, doesn't get us anywhere.'

More investment in scientific research was needed to uncover beter ways that agriculture could help in the mitigation of climate change. 'There is no good data which would say that the emissions of nitrous oxide from organic systems compared to systems which are using synthetic fertiliser are necessary any worse or any better. I could argue very strongly that efficient pest, disease and weed control using pestcides was a far greener system in terms of the efficiency with which nitrogen us used than an inefficient system using far more land and inputs inefficiently.'

NFU policy director Martin Haworth endorsed Professor Crute's comments. More money needed to be spent on research and development to address 'market failure' issues. He commented, 'We need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all systems and science is key.'

The comments came after a study by the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) found that four out of five shoppers are turning their backs on organic produce in favour of cheaper, conventionally-produced food. They found that 10 per cent of shoppers have found alternative products offering the same perceived benefits as organic food at a lower price.

A further 8 per cent are focusing their organic spend on fewer products where they think it really makes a difference, while another 8 per cent say they are not sure what organic stands for anymore. More than 40 per cent of shoppers say they have never been interested in organic.

The hard core of dedicated organic shoppers make up nearly one in five of the UK population. They tend to be younger and more affluent. However, some of them are looking for their ethical values in products that meet high animal welfare standards, local foods and Fairtrade. Nine per cent of shoppers will buy more organic food when they have more money.

Soil Association director Patrick Holden admitted that many people saw organic as a lifestyle choice rather than a sustainable farming system. 'We need to work at changing these perceptions,' he said.Any source

Sunday, August 30, 2009

As fall approaches, many business-school graduates will launch careers in finance, on Wall Street, at investment firms, in brokerages, in wealth management, with hedge funds or private-equity firms. Others will start the same by transferring from other companies or careers.

In financial institutions, many MBA's or early-career hires start off in "associate" positions in corporate finance, corporate treasury, trading, or private banking. "Associates" spend 4-5 years refining technical skills, doing deals, preparing pitchbooks, doing research, meeting clients, broadening networks, trading, investing, selling, modelling, and planning the next stages of a long career. In many institutions, they are eventually considered for promotion to vice president.

What are the steps to get to VP? How do associates become managers, get distinguished or noticed--become leaders in the pack?

At many institutions, associates are divided into classes--based on the year they join the firm (or the year they finished b-school). Sometimes there are fairly defined performance expectations (sometimes based on measurable criteria, but often based on subjective assessments).

At the end of each year, they are subject to an exhaustive appraisal process--evaluations, ratings, and rankings. For managers, the process is agonizing, sometimes political, but often necessary for parcelling out bonuses and deciding who has what it takes to become a vice president down the line. For associates, the process may come across as vague, unscientific, impossible to interpret, sometimes unfair.

What can new associates do to distinguish themselves, create a "buzz" about themselves, and get evaluation committees excited about their accomplishments and their prospects ahead?

First, it helps to know in general about the process, know what committees and managers are looking for, know what qualitative characteristics they are looking for, and know what senior person will be your advocate in this process.

Second, it helps not to get bogged down too much about the same process. Do your best, make yourself invaluable, keep learning as much as possible, and be known for being a team player. Avoid being considered "mediocre," "average" (in other words, replaceable).

Third, try to be known or identified as a "top performer." Some of things evaluation committees look for follow.

Top performers:

1) have exceptional energy and "gravitas." They work hard and seldom let up. They don't complain about responsbility and accountability and even welcome it. They are up to the challenge, and they show up all the time,

2) keep up to date on industry issues, banking and finance topics and products, clients' businesses,

3) are consistently regarded by those senior and junior to them as a "go to" person. When there is an urgent client pitch or deal or a major project or research analysis, everybody goes to them to get them involved or to help lead the effort,

4) are self-learners and don't require hand-holding when the material is new or when the project is complex. They grasp new material rapidly and smoothly. They are generally distinguished in quantitative topics. They appreciate theories of finance and economics, but can offer informed critiques, too. They are cerebral in many ways and style. They have innate curiosity to learn, understand and know,

5) are willing to share and help those less experienced. They are regarded as team players and pleasant colleagues to work with,

6) have strong, polished writing skills in memos, presentations, e-mails, and pitches and can produce material quickly (without delay and on time),

7) have expertise in complex financial modeling, not just competence. They are creative and insightful in modeling, as well. They are attentive to and respectful of details. They are intolerable of errors of any kind in presentations or communications to clients,

8) are well-rounded, versatile, not one-sided in talents, and “solid” in most areas,

9) are comfortable in networking internally, comfortable among senior managers, and show signs of having good relationships skills with clients. Although not yet experienced with clients, they already understand what it means to be "client-centric,"

10) are willing to take measured, proper risks in business situations and career management,

11) show leadership potential, are mature, and are confident in the work they produce and assertive in supporting it. Seniors can see them "running a business unit" or "leading a major transaction" one day,

12) have a rational point of view about business situations, investments, transactions, or corporate strategy and express it properly,

13) care about the fundamentals of finance and “block and tackle” (in finance and accounting) without thinking,

No associate, of course, has the time, endurance or capacity to perfect all of the above. Associates also have other priorities (family, health and hobbies, for example) that deserve attention.

But it certainly helps to know what the scorecard might be. And it helps to assess yourself periodically, especially when managers and seniors will not always provide prompt feedback or provide it fairly.

The process can be more subjective than objective and associates should be aware of that. Associates, thus, should focus on what they can influence. They should know there are some things they can do now to help shape the "buzz" that's created about them.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

A CALL FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO RAISE YOUR VOICES AND DEMONSTRATE AGAINST LACCD ON MONDAY

The Los Angeles Community College District’s (“LACCD”) decision not to open the promised satellite campus at the historic Van de Kamps site, and instead lease it out to a charter school and as commercial space is BOND FRAUD.

Politics, both internal and external are poised to take away a promised college campus from our community. OUR tax dollars are not being used the way that we were promised.

Come and join The Van de Kamps Coalition at the historic Van De Kamps site and demonstrate.

MONDAY, AUGUST 31 AT 7AM.2930 FLETCHER DRIVE

WE WANT OUR COLLEGE BACK THAT THEY STOLE.

Through Public Record Request, We Have Discovered The Following:

LACCD’s Claim Of Budget Deficit As Reason For Leasing Van de Kamps Space Is Undermined By E-mails Showing LACCD Management and City Officials Discussing Lease Of Van de Kamps Campus LONG BEFORE The State Budget Crisis.

E-mail Shows LACCD Administrators Considering a Strategy Entitled “Stonewall Approach” As A Response To The Community’s Efforts To Learn The Facts About The LACCD’s Conversion Of The Community College Campus Built With Public Bond Funds To Something Else.

E-mails And Other Documents Show Secret Decision of Los Angeles Community College District (“LACCD”) To Convert Van de Kamps Satellite Campus to “Commercial Building” Space To Benefit City of Los Angeles Community Development Department Programs Administered By Mayor Villaraigosa and A Private Charter High School Favored By The Mayor.

Jets vs. Giants: The classic battle for the Crown of NY-Even if it's only pre season Football( or how i learned to become a Football Writer/Scout) By Dr. Bill Chachkes-Football Reporters Online

For years growing up lots of fans of the "older" generation(read: my late Father and his cronies) would blast the notion of "wasting time" on attending a pre season NFL game. My dad would always say "this is your only chance this season to take your friends" or "I'll give you some money for each of the pre season seats you sell, and you can afford to go and have a good time"(i was a teenager and it was the 1970's).

He has his subliminal reasons. My dad used to publish something he called "The Sheet" or the "Game Sheet." Since he was one of our street's "involved" parents, he was the "Football Coach/Scout" of our block, and for the most part, our development (we grew up in NYC Housing back when it wasn't a "stigma" or considered urban blight). "The Sheet" consisted of his observations on the up coming game and some briefs about the match ups between the teams. He typically passed them out at his workplace( a Federal Law Enforcement agency where he would eventually become a supervisor).

This was in no way intended for gaming purposes. It was strictly for your enhanced enjoyment of the game. My father never dreamed of being a writer of any type. "Half these clowns writing about the teams for the papers don't know squat anyway" he would always say. " I know more about the team from one day a year at practice" would always be his next line. It was also my "duty" as his first born son to "help" him by "taking those seats off his hands," since he went to "every other game they were going to loose that season." I would also have to take notes for him at those games, and since my handwriting stunk as a teenager, I would have to come home and type them (remember typewriters?) so he could read them.

My dad was fortunate enough that in his job he would have enough vacation time each year to take off a month, which was usually from the first or second week of August right through labor day. This was so we could attend the training camps of the Giants (first at Fordham University, then at Pace University's main campus in Westchester, and later on we'd add a day trip out to Long Island for the Jets Camp).

This was so my father could "Scout" the teams, but little did i know he was also teaching me about the game. "Watch and Learn" he would say "and try not to run your mouth too much while i take notes." Such was his manner, being an ex-soldier as well as a Fed. What he was really teaching me was how to evaluate a player's skill, and improve my communication skills at the same time. He was also teaching me that even though it wasn't worth the extra time on his Saturday night in August to actually go to the Jets-Giants game when he "could stay home and watch it on his color TV and not spend extra money on concessions," It was still important.

Tonight's game has never been more important for both teams then it is this year, although Coach Coughlin will tell you as he told a group of reporters in training camp " It's the Third Preseason game, That's what it is," as his way of downplaying the importance.

Both teams have a slew of unanswered questions coming into the regular season. The Jets have a new Head Coach, a new defensive scheme, and as of right now, a new starting QB. Questions abound with regards to weather this is the right choice. Some may think that the "we need to win now" theory applies here, but I'm not so sure. I also wonder if the Jets would have still made the trade for Sanchez if Brett Farve were still in N.Y. and Healthy enough to get through this season. The Jets still have two other QB's on their roster(three if you count WR Brad Smith, who only threw for well over 5,000 yards at in four seasons at Missouri). The Jets are also 0 for the preseason again thus far, and last week the Wonderkid didn't exactly look that good against the Raven's first team.

The Giants have plenty of receivers to "pick up" the mantle so to speak, from Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer, but no veteran depth at the position unless you count in David Tyree, who is on the brink of being released from the squad. They also have lots of gaps on the defense right now because of injuries, even though they had a very busy off season. Also missing from tonight's line up for the G-Men are Antonio Pierce(foot), Chris Canty (hamstring), Michael Boley (Hip/ placed on Pup), Jay Alford (knee), DB's Aaron Ross (Hamstring), and Stoney Woodson (ankle) and on the offense, Tyree (hamstring), RB Andre Brown (Achilles Tendon), and OL Orrin Thompson (Strained Quad).

While the Giants are Playing it down, we can be sure the Jets are playing up the rivalry, and looking for a confidence booster of a win tonight.

On August 11, 2009, the House of Assembly passed the Financial Services Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2009 with significant amendments to certain provisions in the Financial Services Commission Act, 2001. One of the important issues addressed by the Bill is the independence of the Financial Services Commission as a regulatory body, in response to the concerns of the financial services sector about the new duties imposed on authorized or registered agents.

The Bill addresses a loophole in the current legislation which did not allow the BVI FSC to take enforcement action against defaulting licensed entities, due to the inadvertence of their registered agents. However, the House of Assembly passed the final Bill without strict liability provisions for registered agents. When the agents report a breach or offence committed by their licensees to the licensee or the FSC, they are provided immunity. If they fail to comply, they may be subject to a fine not exceeding $25,000.00.

Also, the Bill requires that the reasons should be provided by the Cabinet for removing members of the Board and the Managing Director of the Commission. It should be said that under BVI law there is no requirement that reasons should be given for administrative decisions, and this amendment would bring greater transparency to the decision-making process by the FSC and greater independence to the FSC in conducting its regulatory functions.

When assented by the Governor, the Bill will require the Commission to publish its estimates, work plans, audited accounts and financial statements, and annual reports to ensure greater accountability.

With the approval by the Icelandic Parliament of arrangements to pay back money owed by failed Icelandic banks to depositors in the UK and the Netherlands, the way is now clear for Iceland's application to join the EU to proceed.

The opening of negotiations has already been approved by the Parliament, but membership would have to be approved by a national referendum and approval rates have been dropping sharply as the nation's population consider that they have been harshly treated by the international community for the failures of a few financiers.

Fish is normally seen as the main obstacle to Icelandic membership, but agriculture also poses many challenges. Iceland has a PSE of around 70 per cent, one of the highest in the OECD (along with Norway and Switzerland, although reforms have been introduced in the latter country) and twice the OECD average. The OECD has commented that since the last 1980s there has been limited progress in policy reform with only a slight drop in levels of producer support.

Sheep farming has been the main activity, but this has been in decline. Scarcely any crops are grown in the country. There are around five hundred dairy farms, presumably to ensure a liquid milk supply given the country's isolation. At least until recently, dairy prices were still administered.

The EU's net trade balance with Iceland is just over €150m for agricultural and food exports. The value of EU food exports has risen 25 per cent in the last four years. However, there is a trade deficit of more than €1bn in fish products.

In any negotiations account has to be taken of Iceland's special circumstances in terms of climate and location. There is no doubt that agriculture as well as fish is a sensitive subject in terms of the already wounded national pride of the Icelandic nation. The main potential gain for Iceland is membership of the euro and relief for their own battered currency.

We shall be paying special attention to negotiations as they proceed.Any source

Friday, August 28, 2009

Although I'm not a lawyer, (IANAL) I've worked on a fair number of legal agreements. Most typically, I would spend a lot more time working on the agreement than I ever did consulting the terms of the agreement. That's because it's much easier to work out the hard core details of implementation without the lawyers reviewing everything.

In my post on privacy and google book search, I spent a fair amount of time looking at what the settlement agreement said about security and privacy. From the perspective of a few weeks later, it looks to me like most of the hard-core details that matter are in fact not in there and will need to be worked out by the parties to the agreement.

This morning, I took some vacation from my vacation and went over to Berkeley to participate in the a conference called "The Google Books Settlement and the Future of Information Access". I was struck by a comment that Jason Schultz, Associate Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic at U.C. Berkeley School of Law made at least twice. He said it was important to get more assurances on privacy into the settlement agreement because "at least then we'll have something on paper that we can enforce". As I mentioned before, IANAL, so the mention of having anything on paper that I'll have to pay a lawyer lots of money to attempt to enforce something else doesn't have a lot of appeal to me. And I have questions.

Can third parties enforce "pieces of paper"? Suppose Joe and Mary, instead of hiring a divorce lawyer, sign an agreement to have coffee together once a week at Starbucks, can Starbucks sue them if one or both of them breaches the agreement?

Can third parties sue to enforce a class action "piece of paper" that has been approved by a court? Suppose a class of baseball widows files suit against the class of Yankees tickets holders and gets a settlement that offers them a cup of coffee at Starbucks with their spouses once a week. Can Starbucks file suit to get better compliance with the agreement?

Do opt outs affect the ability of class members to enforce the class action agreements? If the Yankee widows can opt out of the settlement, can they sue to get better coffee agreement compliance even if they opt out?

If you are an author concerned about privacy, do you have more or less leverage on the devilish details if you opt in or opt out of the settlement agreement?

I found it to be an appallingly misleading piece of pro-Fed boosterism. If you're looking for one more piece of mainstream writing that supports the idea of increased powers for the Fed in the wake of the global financial crisis, you've found it: "Ben S. Bernanke’s renomination allows him to redefine the Federal Reserve’s mission as he expands its power over financial markets and pulls back on a credit surge the central bank used to keep the economy from collapse, economists say.

Bernanke’s agenda during the next four years will include elevating the Fed’s role in reducing excessive risk in major financial institutions, figuring out how to curtail asset bubbles, and scaling back $1.2 trillion of monetary stimulus.

“He will have the opportunity to permanently change the structure of the Federal Reserve system,” said Vincent Reinhart, a former director of the Fed’s Monetary Affairs Division who’s now a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based research group.

President Barack Obama nominated Bernanke, 55, for a second term yesterday, lauding the Fed chairman for helping “put the brakes on our economic free fall.”... "The article goes on to laud Ben Bernanke for his efforts in bringing greater "transparency" to the Fed, while also citing him as "a steward...of Paul Volcker's legacy of establishing a regime of low inflation". Well, I think Ron Paul may have a few things to say about that. Meanwhile, I'd like to point you to an incredible article from James Quinn at FSO entitled, "The Federal Reserve Must Die". If you'd like to get a rather unconventional (and enlightening) historical view of the Fed and its ever-expanding powers over our economy, give this one a careful look.Related articles and posts:1. Ron Paul: bringing transparency to the Fed - Fora.tv2. Obama's plan could boost Fed's power - Finance TrendsAny source

A BIG Atwater Village THANK YOU to all of our Vibrant Village who participated in last night’s 2nd monthly Summer Nights on The Boulevard!!! From the dancers, musicians, djs, and artists who provided their talents for free, to all the restaurants and stores who stayed open late, it was fun all while bringing our community together once again.

Looking ahead to September, our next Summer Nights on The Boulevard will be held on Thursday, September 24th. Since one and all will be back and settled in from summer vacation, attendance will most assuredly be greater than the previous two events. Because of such, there is a lot to be done and it will take our Village to make it happen.

Stay tuned for a Chamber social/planning party within the next two weeks where we can all gather our thoughts, ideas, and more to make the next Summer Nights the best yet.

Thank you once again to all for your Team efforts in last night’s success!

This interesting report from the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development shows how the CAP can often undermine the development goals that member states are pursuing: Millennium Goals Any source

We put the question out there on our Facebook page: Which products would you like to see us make in 2010? Many people responded that they wanted a "normal" body lotion. I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about why our manufacturing standards keep us from making a more typical "body lotion."

I have to start out by saying that we do actually have a body lotion--It's our body butter. It's lotion. It's for your body. So, really, it's body lotion. However, the market has come to equate the term "body lotion" with a more watery, less concentrated lotion.

What we know today as "body lotion" is an emulsion--or water and oil mixed together. Most body lotions are what they call an oil-in-water emulsion. Basically 80% water with a little bit of oil. So, why can't we do that?

1. EmulsifiersIn order to create an emulsion, you need an emulsifier--an agent that will combine water and oil. The most common way of doing this is with a chemical emulsifier like stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, PEGs, or vegetable emulsifying wax. These emulsifiers will give you that typical mayonaise-like texture that you would expect in a lotion. We refuse to use these chemicals in our products. While many other companies claim they're "natural" or "derived from coconut" that's not acceptable to us. They're still synthetic chemicals, we can't get them in a certified organic form, and many of them are commonly contaminated with 1,4 dioxane.

There are a few organic ways that we could combine water and oil. A blend of organic lecithin and GMO-free xanthan gum would be one way. But we've tried this before in testing, and used other lotions that use this emulsion system and it's just not that great. It gives a really slippery, slimy feel that ends up leaving a sticky feeling once it's dried. There's also the beeswax-borax method of emulsion. But borax doesn't score that great in the EWG skin deep database, and we don't want to use an ingredient if it has a question mark. The main issue with borax is when it's inhaled, so even though it wouldn't really put customers at risk in a liquid lotion, our employees would be exposed to it in high quantities. We don't want to take that risk. I don't advise against making your own beeswax/borax lotions at home--the quantities are small enough to not be a problem. But on a larger production scale, a large amount of borax could create quite a cloud of irritating dust.

2. PreservativesNext, there's the problem of preservatives. Any time you have water in a formula you have the potential for pathogens to grow. Bacteria. Fungi. Mold. So, if we made a water-containing emulsion, we'd have to use a preservative. And that usually leads to chemicals---parabens, urea, methylisothiazolinone. And of course we avoid these.

There are some organic ways of preserving--blends of essential oils or with organic ethanol. Blends of preservative essential oils have a tendency to be quite strong-smelling, so they end up taking over the scent of the product. A raspberry lotion doesn't end up smelling very good blended with clove, thyme, lavender and eucalyptus. And with many of our customers preferring unscented options, it just isn't feasible. In addition, they're not a fail-safe method. I've tried organic products preserved with essential oils and have seen mold grow before my eyes.

Organic ethanol can be used, but you have to make sure to add plenty of humectants and emollients to counteract the potential for irritation/drying effect from the ethanol.

3. We don't think it's rightYes, we could probably make a body lotion--preserve it with ethanol, emulsify it with xanthan gum and lecithin--but we don't think it's right. A product like that is 80% water. We don't feel it's right to charge people for a product that's mostly water, and then have it dry out their skin more.

However, we do understand that it is nice to feel that instant "hydrating" feeling that a water-based lotion brings. But you can achieve the same feeling with our body butter. Just turn on the tap, wet your hand, and pat on water to your skin. Then, apply a small amount of our body butter. You'll have that lotion-ey feel that you're used to, and it will make your body butter last even longer. (Just be sure to keep water out of the body butter jar.) Your skin will thank you.Copyright: Content on this web site, such as text, graphics, logos, button icons and images is the property of http://bubbleandbee.blogspot.comThe selection, arrangement, and presentation of all materials on this web site is the property of http://www.fergco.co